Occupation / wall

Oc·cu·pa·tion: possession, settlement, or use of land; the act of occupying; the state of being occupied

A·part·heid: Apart-hood. A policy or practice of separating or segregating groups; the condition of being apart.

Hadrian’s Wall. China’s Great Wall. Berlin Wall. Walls are an ancient tactic, accelerating in our time. Separation walls -- with soft euphemisms like “fence” or “line” -- are constructed in Northern Ireland, Palestine, and the United States.

The Peace Walls, Northern Ireland, aka, "peacelines," began in 1969 during The Troubles, separating Catholic (nationalist) and Protestant (unionist) neighborhoods to minimize inter-communal violence. The forty-eight walls reach as high as 25 feet (7.6 m). Some have gates (staffed by police), closed at night. Although The Troubles are thought to have ended in about 1998, these originally temporary structures have become wider, longer, increasingly permanent. The Israeli-West Bank Wall was begun in 2000, to separate Israelis from Palestinians. Upon completion, the wall will be approximately 430 miles (700 km) long. Its route substantially penetrates the Occupied Territories and annexes Palestinian land. The International Court of Justice resolved that "Israel cannot rely on a right of self-defense or on a state of necessity in order to preclude the wrongfulness of the construction of the wall….[which is] contrary to international law.” Additional walls isolate Gaza, now a prison camp.

The Mexico–United States Walls, California, Texas, Arizona, New Mexico, were designed to prevent illegal movement across the Mexico–U. S. border. The walls jeopardize the safety of immigrants -- 5,000 deaths in thirteen years. Environmentally hazardous, they destroy animal habitat, prevent wildlife from reaching water, and disturb migration patterns. In 2009, there were more than 580 miles (930 km) of walls. Construction is still under way, with proposed additions of Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (“drones”) and other forms of militarization.

Are there cracks in the walls? Any escape? Tunnels, murals, and graffiti challenge concrete blockades and announce unity among the oppressed. “You are entering Free Derry” in Ireland and “You are entering Free Dheisheh” in Palestine proclaim defiance. An Anishinabe flag stands in proud solidarity.